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John Talty

Writer /

College football's biggest spending surprises: Why Alabama, Texas Tech and Indiana missed the top 12

Why did defending champion Indiana, powerhouse Alabama, and big-spending Texas Tech miss the cut for college football’s most expensive rosters?

AP Top 25 poll: Most overrated, underrated and two teams to crash out of final rankings

From Texas sitting too low at No. 5 to USC looking highly overrated at No. 14, we break down the biggest misses in the preseason Associated Press poll

Ranking college football's most expensive rosters after polling 50-plus industry insiders

A CBS Sports poll of industry insiders reveals multiple programs have crossed the $40 million roster threshold, led by Lane Kiffin's massive spending spree at LSU -- which may be closer to $50 million

Arch Manning, Drew Mestemaker voted college football's most overrated players

We polled a litany of player personnel executives on what they really thought about the 10 players who crown CBS Sports' Top 150

2026 College Football Playoff bracket projection: Notre Dame, Georgia take top seeds

Projecting the 12‑team field, first‑round matchups, quarterfinal picks, semifinal results and the national championship

Protect College Sports Act fails to reach Senate floor for vote, as lawmakers recess until September

The college sports bill could pass the Senate as early as September, but with midterm elections coming, its passage is anything but certain

Out of his depth and now under investigation, Michael Lombardi's UNC tenure defined by arrogance and ignorance

North Carolina's general manager was put on administrative leave on Monday, adding another piece of drama to the disastrous Bill Belichick era in Chapel Hill

Greg Sankey keeps floating an SEC breakaway when the focus should be on improving the NCAA, not leaving it

Leaving the NCAA would be a mistake for the SEC especially since Sankey could help fix many of college athletics' biggest problems

Alex Mortensen blending Nick Saban's 'Process' with his own style at UAB

The former Arkansas quarterback and son of famed sports journalist Chris Mortensen is leaning on Saban principles as well as a lifetime of football experience

Ex-Michigan coach's lawsuit alleges school leaders covered up sign-stealing scheme ahead of 2023 title season

Former Wolverines assistant Chris Partridge claims Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel and ex-president Santa Ono discovered evidence of the scheme in January 2023 -- 12 months before the team's national title win

Lane Kiffin, an NCAA investigation and basketweaving: Ole Miss' Pete Golding unfazed by what he can't control

After a spring of catching strays from former boss Lane Kiffin, Texas' Steve Sarkisian and Clemson's Dabo Swinney, Ole Miss coach Pete Golding took time to respond to his critics

Greg Sankey 'committed' to SEC Championship Game amid 24-team playoff expansion debate

Despite growing momentum to eliminate conference championship games, the SEC commissioner is holding firm

Ed Orgeron returns to LSU: Ex-Tigers coach joins Lane Kiffin's staff in special assistant role

Coach O led LSU on a historic national championship run in the 2019 season, and he has a long history with the Tigers' first-year coach

Kirby Smart, Nick Saban weigh in on the 'expensive lesson' of the Brendan Sorsby gambling case

With online betting rampant and NIL money flowing, the Sorsby case highlights a growing crisis for college sports that has coaches deeply concerned

Nick Saban backs Alabama's $12.5M extension for Kalen DeBoer after post‑retirement transition

Saban addressed his Alabama successor's massive contract extension for the first time publicly

John is a national college sports writer. He previously worked as SEC insider and senior sports editor for AL.com and Alabama Media Group. He is the Wall Street Journal best-selling author of "The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban: How Alabama's Coach Became the Greatest Ever."

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